The present disclosure relates to patient-support devices, and particularly, to infant thermal support devices of the type having a humidity controlled environment for a patient supported by the device. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a self-contained humidifier module that is inserted into a patient-support apparatus.
It is conventional to humidify the air which is circulated inside an infant incubator. Conventional incubators, or patient thermal support devices as they are known, have systems for recirculating warmed air in the environment in which the infant resides. The environment may be enclosed by some type of housing or canopy over a support or the environment may be a space which is controlled by one or more curtains of heated air. The objective is to provide controlled humidity in the environment by adding moisture to the heated air. It is desirable to humidify the air so that evaporative heat losses from a patient exposed to the humidified air are minimized. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,224,923, 5,336,156 and 6,024,694 showing humidifiers associated with infant incubators, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Humidification of the air in the enclosure of an infant warming device, incubator or thermal support apparatus is recognized as facilitating the treatment of certain infants. The disclosed humidifier module for an infant incubator or other thermal support apparatus permits the care giver to insert the module into the device to a use position to humidify the air in the enclosure when humidification of the air is desired. The caregiver can operate the thermal support without the presence of the humidifier module if desired.
The thermal support apparatus is provided with a recess to receive the humidifier module and permit insertion and removal of the humidifier module. The illustrated humidifier module is moveable horizontally into and out of the recess. Because it is a separate module that can be completely removed from the thermal support apparatus, the disclosed humidifier module can be replaced with a similar module in the event of failure. Additionally, when removed from the thermal support apparatus, the humidifier module can be easily cleaned or repaired. The design of the disclosed humidifier module facilitates partial removal of the module from the thermal support apparatus. When partially removed the humidifier module may be filled or refilled with water.
The disclosed humidifier module includes a housing internally divided into a water reservoir to receive water. The humidifier module also includes a vapor chamber in communication through a passageway with the water reservoir. A heat source is positioned in the vapor chamber to heat water in the vapor chamber to produce vapor. The vapor is injected into the air passageway(s) of the thermal support apparatus through an outlet port of the vapor chamber. The heat source may be movable with the housing. Additionally, the heat source may be a portion of a heater module that is separately removable from the housing of the humidifier module. Such a heater module may act to seal the vapor chamber when the heater is in the vapor chamber.
The volume of the vapor chamber may be smaller than the volume of the water reservoir. Thus, the entire water supply of the humidifier module need not be heated. This feature reduces evaporative losses of the water supply and reduces the power usage by the humidifier module. This feature also facilitates generation of vapor in a reduced period of time. A thermally insulative wall separates the vapor chamber and the water reservoir. The disclosed wall includes a double walled barrier with a dead air space therebetween. Other designs of thermally insulative walls may be provided to recognize the benefits of insulating the water reservoir from the vapor chamber.
The heater in the humidifier module may be designed to be powered by an external power source, such as a power source within the thermal support apparatus. The humidifier module may include a connector assembly configured to mate with a manifold assembly in the thermal support apparatus to provide power to the heater of the humidifier module. In the disclosed humidifier module and thermal support apparatus, the connector is part of a mount that also provides communication between the vapor chamber and the air passageway.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrated embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.